My blogs have focused on having fun in the science classroom. I have researched fun activities through a variety of ways, by using personal experiences, the world wide web, and books to inform you the reader of these blog posts. I also informed myself about having fun in the classroom.
My focus on this blog is how the teacher is the driving force to have fun in the classroom. I looked at many websites, but found this website to be very helpful. I thought to myself, why do I want my students to have fun in my classroom? Am I the main link to infussing fun in my classroom? My answer to this is "Yes", I am the fun maker!
Teachers have to be a lot of things to their students. There is no end to how a teacher can positively influence a student. I have had terrific teachers, especially in my science classes. These teachers were thoughtful, organized and had a sense of humor.
So I comprised a list of the qualities that I think a good teacher brings to his or her classroom. This is my list, not taken from a web site or read from a book, but a list I put together about myself and how I am the maker and implementor of the fun in my classroom.
My attitude. My attitude needs to be postive and engaging with my students. If I model a positive attitude than my students will see that and hopefully be positive themselves.
My classroom enviorment. My classroom enviroment needs to be an enviroment where the students understand the rules and follow the routines of the class. This will keep everyone on track and the fun can never be interrupted by bad behavior.
I need to be patient withthe students. This will be a challenge for me. When asking questions in science class, always allow for wait time.
Be organized. Have the plan ready, things can become unfunly quickly if there is no plan to follow.
Plan for the unexpected. A good teacher always tries to plan for the unexpected. Maybe a new student joins science class the day of a special project. Always be ready for this and have extras to grab quickly and without fuss.
Do not expect to be perfect! Even if the students are engaged and having fun, make sure they are always learning something about science. Remember to teach to the purpose.
Be flexible, attentive, passionate about your students, reliable, and be aware of your student's affective filter. Try not to call out students when asking questions. Having fun should be that, having fun! Keep making the lesson fun by making adaptions on the run.
Communicate the fun you are having in your class withthe parents by using a blog or newsletter to home. Maybe the parent woud like to come and join in the fun.
Understand culture differences. Focus on the needs of your students. If an ESL student is in your class, make sure that they too are having fun and understanding the purpose of the science lesson.
These are just a few of my ideas about how teachers can make learning in science fun and engaging. Please feel free to add to my list!
When I first started reading this, I was worried. Sounded like a want-to-be comedian who missed their chance! However, I appreciate you not leaving the fun out, while balancing the classroom management appropriately. I think the lack of fun is a systemic problem with school. there are two camps, one that gets that it has to be fun, the other, thinks fun is wasting time. There have been times when I have taught and I was having fun and I have gotten looks and comments that permeate "you are horsing around, you are not teaching anything." But the reality is that some kids will thrive in a classroom with humor. Sure, some teachers can't pull it off, but it sounds like you can!
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteYou have outlined a great recipe for a good teacher. It would be a great idea to summarize your points on a card to refer back to on a regular basis. It could be called "A Guide to Teach By." Learning should be fun. Life should be fun. Not all of life is fun, but I believe it is good to make having fun a priority.
Oh, I really like the points you brought up. There was some great self reflection (like being patient) in your list! I also like the idea of a class newsletter or blog to keep families in the loop and up to date. What about adding something to your list about giving students choices? It's part of the Tribes philosophy but not only that, kids really enjoy being put in charge of their learning. My 3rd graders at my placement seem to really like when we give them choices. I would have loved to be in a science class like you are describing!
ReplyDeleteI like how you tied in what you learned through the research you did and turned this post into a self reflection. Sometimes as teachers we need to step back and look at the bigger picture. What is it that we can offer and bring to our classroom to make learning fun? I think being organized is so crucial for any subject area whether it be science or not. When we think of organized we often think of how we want the lesson to go, sort of like the guidelines. Everything needs to be organized. In clinicals we have learned that that is not the case. Being organized is an excellent quality to have, but in the sense of having supplies set out ahead of time and having experiments set out for the students so the students can get to work right away. I also think it is important that the teacher needs to just relax a little bit and have fun with the class. Sometime the teacher needs to laugh with their students so that they know that you dont have to be serious all the time, and yet you can still get what you need to get done.
ReplyDeleteHey Nancy- I really liked this post, and the nature of your ideas on how to make science fun. I completely agree, the teacher is an essential ingredient in making science enjoyable to all students. Of course, there will be those students that just really enjoy learning about science and see the "fun" in everything, but that may be the minority. In my opinion, I will need to focus on being patient- I have seen the fun dwindle out of lessons by a teacher rushing students too quickly. Also, for me, I am able to enjoy and have fun with what I am teaching when I am organized and prepared- even for the unexpected :-) I think so many of us take our future career very seriously- which is important- but we sometimes lose sight of having fun!
ReplyDeleteNancy, I really enjoyed your blog. I think these are qualities that classroom teachers should have. I also think adding an element of content would be nice. Making sure teachers are well prepared and really understand the content is essential. I think so many of these qualities would make an excellent classroom and teacher. Students know when teachers aren't in the classroom for the right reasons. They also know when teachers are in the classroom for the right reasons. When teachers love what they do and they are good at it, the students will feed off of that energy. I think it makes the perfect combination for an effective classroom!
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